Calvert to Use Less Phosphoric Fertilizers

Policy Aims to Lower Toxins in Bay

Calvert County's commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to curb the use of high-phosphate fertilizers on county property.

The policy is consistent with the state's Chesapeake Bay Phosphorus Reduction Act of 2009, which will ban the sale and use of fertilizer with high levels of phosphoric acid throughout Maryland, except in special situations and for new lawns and turf. The ban takes effect April 1, 2011.

"It is good government to set an example for citizens in the county," said Ron McClain, a member of Calvert's Environmental Commission, which drafted the resolution for county commissioners.

Phosphoric acid and other nutrients run off lawns during rainstorms, for example, and can create toxic concentrations in waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay. High levels of phosphorous can lead to algae blooms, which sink to the bottom of the waterway and deplete the amount of oxygen in the water, creating dead zones, where crabs, fish and other water life cannot survive, said David C. Brownlee, principal environmental planner for the county.

The resolution requires that county employees record how much phosphate is used in county areas, such as parks, schools and one golf course, McClain said.

It "fits largely into the work [county employees] are already doing," said Greg Bowen, the county's planning and zoning director. He said soil tests are done regularly to see what a lawn or field needs before fertilizer is applied.

The county's action does not apply to residents. But county environmental officials said they hope more residents will start requesting low-phosphate fertilizers and conduct soil tests before applying fertilizers.

"You might find out you don't need to fertilize at all," Brownlee said.